Why typography is important to everyone

Typography is important to everyone

Whether they realise it or not

You don't need to be a designer to understand how important typefaces are to everyone, they influence our everyday lives in one way or another.

Just walk down a parade of shops to see the influence they have on us. They dictate what we buy, where we eat and who we do business with. If you saw a Funeral Parlour with a really funky logo or comic-looking typeface you probably wouldn't take them very seriously if you were in a position where you had to secure the services of an undertaker. You would prefer to see a formal-looking typeface that said to you: "We are very sincere about the services we offer".

How did some of the most famous typefaces in the world come to being? Why were they designed in that way? They were all designed with a purpose in mind ... carefully planned and executed.

Of course there are some awful typefaces that have been designed, sadly a lot of them are modern typefaces. But there has been a huge resurgence for creating beautiful typefaces again, thank goodness.

'Just My Type: A Book About Fonts' by Simon Garfield (ISBN-13: 978-1846683022) is a very light-read for anyone who ever wondered why typefaces are designed as they are. For example: Why did Barack Obama opted for Gotham? while Amy Winehouse found her soul in 30s Art Deco, it's a light-hearted read about how we are all truly influenced by typography

Suggested light-hearted read for anyone in any business who wishes to influence their customers.